Tigers’ Lopez gains All-American honor

December 6, 2012

Marshalltown Community College's men's soccer team made plenty of noise by advancing to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I National Tournament and winning a match while it was there.

Apparently sophomore defender Javier Lopez made an impact, too.

Lopez was named a third-team All-American, the NJCAA announced Wednesday. The Granada, Spain, native finished the season with seven goals and five assists in starting all 20 games he played.

Article Photos

T-R FILE PHOTOMarshalltown Community College sophomore defender Javier Lopez, left, looks to pass around Brennan Mejia (9) of Indian Hills during their Sept. 25 men’s soccer match at MCC. Lopez has been named third-team All-American by the NJCAA.

He was named an all-Region XI first-team honoree earlier this fall as well.

"Javier has been a critical part of our program for the last two years, but his commitment to MCC was incredible this year," said Tiger head coach Rafael Martinez. "He has been a leader both in games and in practices, setting high expectations for everyone involved.

"It is very hard for a defender to be named All-American because they don't normally have the statistics to make a case for them, but competing at the national tournament allowed everyone to see what Javier is capable of."

MCC went to Albany, Ga., as the ninth-seeded team out of 12 national qualifiers, falling 2-0 to fourth-seeded and eventual champion Tyler Junior College before beating fifth-seeded Jefferson College 2-0. Lopez had an assist during that final match.

"Besides his success on the field, Javier is a very good student and has become a leader on campus," said Martinez. "He will be missed next year both on and off the field."